Scallops might just be one of my favorite “fancy” things to make and eat. It’s kind of like putting on a cute dress…it looks like you spent a lot of time getting yourself together for the day, but really it was almost effortless. Sneaky…I know! Anyway, scallops may seem a little scary or daunting, but they don’t take a lot of seasoning or extra work. Just keep it simple and you’ll be happy every time. For this dish, we had leftover lemon artichoke pesto sauce in the fridge so it was very quick and made a weeknight dinner stress free. Baking the spaghetti squash was the most time-consuming part, so imagine if you had the squash leftovers as well, this would be the ultimate weeknight meal.
Enjoy!
Get the Recipe:
Seared Scallops with Pesto Sauce and Spaghetti Squash
This seared scallops with pesto sauce and spaghetti squash is a simple, flavorful meal that looks and tastes like it takes hours but is really easy.
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash, - small to medium
- 1-2 tbsp grassfed butter or other fat of choice, (coconut oil, bacon fat, etc), we love Kerrygold
- 8-10 scallops
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup pesto sauce, - see our lemon artichoke pesto sauce recipe linked above in post
- 1-2 handfuls of fresh spinach
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil
- Cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (this can be a real pain, but if you ask someone in the produce department at the store, they'll cut it for you)
- Place the spaghetti squash halves facing down on the foil lined baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes
- When the squash is almost done, remove from the oven and let cool while you heat your pesto sauce and sear your scallops.
- Heat your pesto sauce in a skillet over medium heat
- Add 1-2 handfuls of fresh spinach to the pesto sauce and let the sauce simmer
- Once your spaghetti squash has cooled enough to handle it, use a fork to remove the pasta shreds and set aside
- Next, to sear the scallops add 1-2 tablespoons of grassfed butter to a frying pan
- Add the scallops to the frying pan once the butter is melted and hot and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste
- Sear the scallops for about 2 minutes on each side
- Scoop spaghetti squash on your plate, then layer the pesto sauce and scallops on top. Eat up!
Did you make this recipe?Tag @realsimplegood with hashtag #realsimplegood on Instagram. We love to see what you make!
What else pairs well with this recipe besides spaghetti squash? I have zucchini but usually I need to mask the taste of that and was wondering if scallops and pesto would be enough? I’m stuck in the house during a snow storm. I got left over pesto and some frozen scallops. Just need something to serve with it that’s just as healthy, regular spaghetti would be my last choice. :).
You could definitely try zucchini noodles! Try mixing up the pesto with the zucchini noodles in a pan and just cook long enough to let them heat up. The zucchini will take on the taste of the pesto, and then just add the scallops on top. Let us know how it turns out! Also, stay warm and good luck getting through the snow storm.